“City City City’s new album ‘The Perimeter Motor Show’ is a heady mix of genres, from ‘70s spy movie soundtracks to kraut rock beats Slint-like guitars and occasional electronics.”
- Cyclic Defrost magazine
‘The Perimeter Motor Show’ is the second album from Melbourne 7-piece City City City, a group who multifarious side projects account for some of the most progressive music in Australia. This ambitious and engaging offering forges a path somewhere between the music of ‘60s film scores, post punk, free jazz, kraut rock and chanson pop.
The first single "The Perimeter Motor Show" introduces the vocal duet of Naomi Jean along with founding guitarist Ned Collette, presenting a new focus and direction for the band, whose previous work was entirely instrumental. Indeed, the whole album represents some of City City City’s most ambitious arrangements so far. Self-producing entirely within their own studio allowed the duo Joe Talia and Ned Collette to move with their musical influences without the ticking of a studio clock.
Evidence of this freedom can be seen within the tracks "Skim", "Good Thanks" and "The 4am Cavalry", wherein the arrangements take my an unexpected twist and turn, resulting in an almost suite-like vastness.
“There is something utterly familiar yet stubbornly indefinable about their sounds, where their intention seems to have little to do with aping particular genres or approaches and more to do with some pure form of musical expression… just when you think you have them pegged, they surprise you.”
- Inpress magazine
“They build in momentum to flip from jazzy groove into a breakneck rockout in a transition which has enough intensity to magnetise some of us out of our languid darkness and towards the light like moths.”
- Live review in Express magazine
credits
released October 23, 2005
Ben Bourke - synths
Ned Collette - guitar, voice, synths
Naomi Jean - voice, percussion
Jim McDonald - guitar
Rory McDougall - drums
Eamon McNelis - trumpet
Michael Meagher - bass
Joe Talia - drums, electronics, bass
Engineered by Naomune Anzai, Joe Talia & Ned Collette
Mixed by Joe Talia & Ned Collette
Mastered by François Tetaz at Moose
Artwork and layout by Karla Pringle
City City City existed in Melbourne, Australia from 2000 - 2006. They played a lot and made good friends. They put out two albums:
Dawn And The Blue Light District (2004, Sensory Projects)
The Perimeter Motor Show (2005, Holding Pattern/Remote Control)
City City City toured Australia and New Zealand. They played the fifteenth annual Meredith Music Festival in 2005. The final, "classic" line-up of the band was:
Ben Bourke - keyboards
Ned Collette - guitars, voice, drums, keyboards
Rory McDougal - drums & percussion
Eamon McNelis - trumpet, voice, percussion & keyboards
Michael Meagher - bass, voice
Joe Talia - drums & percussion, laptop, electronics, guitar
This is a comprehensive list of all personnel changes over the life of the band:
2000 - 2006
Ned Collette - guitar, voice, keyboards, drums
An expanded version of 2021's soaring Christmas offering from Japanese rock titans MONO on limited-edition 10-inch vinyl. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 8, 2022